The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas

Comments for people interested in the Blu Ray version of The Boy In the Striped Pyjamas:I watched the Blu Ray edition and the picture quality was flawless. The sound was 5.1 DTS. There was no atmospheric sound effects though as the movie is mostly dialogue and imagery so the film would be equally enjoyable on a portable TV.Film Review without spoilers:*The acting is superb on all counts and is not 'dumbed down' for a mass audience that needs to be helped along the way.*The faces of the characters chosen are memorable as are their performances.The lead character, who plays an eight year old called Bruno (played by Asa Butterfield) is superb. He has mesmerizing blue eyes and a well spoken British accent (I'll get back to this in a second) that even before he speaks makes you look. Vera Farmiga (who plays Bruno's mother) has that ever concerned look that reminded me of her of her impressive performance in 'Orphan' - 2009. Together they exude what a mother/child relationship in a dangerous setting should be. Bruno is forever innocent and exploring within the confines of their property and his mother is forever overly worried and anxious.*Their is no religious 'bias' creeping in, or should I say, focus on religion that may deter some.A prime example of this is: Defiance - 2009. A solid film with this problem.*There is no on screen violence and thus the film is safely appropriate for 12+ viewing. Any scenes of horror are done off screen with the viewer having to imagine what is going on, rather than being shown it. Some may argue the scene of a concentration camp is a still a little young to screen in schools. I would disagree as a child's emotions are not as fully formed as an adult thus removing the sustained sadness of the film that peaks into a tragic twist at the end. I feel it's also important and indeed useful to show children (12+) this movie, so they could understand 'War' from an entirely different perspective to a video game where people run around blasting people. In essence this film makes you think, it's a thinking persons film and induces thought in almost all who watch it.I say almost because..............Criticisms:1) The film is in English. I don't mean English subtitles, but English audio.This is rare and I was initially irritated with it as I was concluding before even watching it further it has 'ruined' the authenticity, however because I am English it worked.It worked because it was like seeing 'my people' in Germany and 'my people' as Jews in Germany. Very clever. Precisely because I am not German or Jewish. It thus made me, 'feel' much more.If you aren't English, or cannot assign to this idea of being able to project yourself as so (because the film is then 'unrealistic' to you), then it may not work for you. For example if the film had been in Spanish I may have thought it bizarre there are Spanish Germans and Spanish prisoners in a concentration camp in Germany. So people who want to have a 100% authentic language representation of WWII should understand this 'flaw' in this film due to this.2) Because this movie it is not an epic war film in the Hollywood sense. It doesn't 'go anywhere' (literally) because it doesn't need to.There are no explosions and dive bombing planes with civilians running for cover, and there are certainly no winners.Instead, there is a creeping tension and sense of what is happening is morally wrong yet inescapable. Inescapable due to the fact children and adults (both Jews and Nazi's are being ordered) what do do and they cannot say no because of the situation the find themselves in.3) An adult won't find this film memorable if they do not have emotions that are easily drawn out. This film makes grown men produce tears, if they have feelings.If they do not, then it may be considered no way near a 10/10 War film because it is unconventional in it's reporting of atrocities.Conclusion:This film isn't pro German or Pro non German, it's not even pro Jewish. It's pro human.In some ways, it could be described as a non war movie, and the war setting is just a platform to make a film about the love and evil that humans can posses inside them.Either way, the film is about the innocence of childhood set within a unique war time setting told from the perspective of a family forced into it by devotion to the fatherland of Nazi Germany. History taught us this devotion was misguided and this film demonstrates this in a personal manner that any race, religion or belief system will understand irrespective of 'whose side you are on'. And that is where it is unique.If I can think of another film to compare this with in terms of a dramatic ending but without blood and gore, I would say Sophie Scholl- 2005. Yet Sophie Scholl is more political than this. This movie is more simplistic and innocent, because it's seen through the eyes of an eight year old boy who makes decisions for himself, decisions that go on to touch other people for the rest of their lives. As did the holocaust.A firm 10/10 then, and a must watch movie for people who understand the context of what is being portrayed.This film is now one of my favorite WWII movies. Alongside: Max Manus Man of War (2008), Twin Sisters (2002) and Flame and Citron (2008).I am happy to have watched it, but also saddened even a day later after viewing, at the inhumanity of man and how easily and exceptionally cruel we can be.Reflective thought on history is something that is often lost in our modern, politically correct, sanitized capitalist Western 'democracy'.Everyone who would like to, should watch this film.It's that good.

(THE FILM)The Boy In The Striped Pajamas. Based on the best-selling novel by John Boyne, it's "an unforgettable motion picture experience powerful and moving beyond words". Bored and restless in his new home, Bruno, an innocent and naive eight-year-old, ignores his mother and sets off on an adventure in the woods. Soon he meets a young boy, and a surprising friendship develops. Set during World War II, this remarkable and inspiring story about the power of the human spirit will capture your heart and engage your mind.WHAT CAN I SAY?to see a WWII film through the eyes of a child but its also a lot heavier on the heart.It makes you sick to the stomach thinking what these poor people went through for no reason at all,but it also shows that not everyone knew what was going onand those who did know,not everyone liked it.But also they didn't do anything to stop it.The friendship between the two boys is so naive and sweetDespite the Nazi propaganda that tries to win Bruno minds over, he still form an unbreakable bond and friendship that displays itself even in the darkest of moments in this film..The acting by all is amazing, but it's the two children that will leave you spellbound and haunted, and the films overall impact will be hard to shake off.plus James Horner's music score is also outstanding and only adds to the viewing experience.It truly is innocence meets the reality's of a brutal truth(The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas)is outstanding true tale of innocence and naivety combined with merciless hatred and shocking cruelty, which concludes with heart-breaking inevitability.at the end of the this film it give us all a really big powerful Reminder that we are all human and Racism and hatred has no place in any society..

After watching 15 minutes of this film I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. My genre is usually horror, I do also enjoy war movie's from any 20st century war, and this didn't seem to be fitting in too well.However, the further into the movie I got, the more interested I became.The movie tells a story of an 8 year old son of a Nazi Concentration Camp Commandant. It shows the war through his young eyes, whilst reminding the viewer of the true atrocities of WW2.The boy, Bruno, befriends another 8 year old boy in a concentration camp, and the story shows their relationship develop.There are numerous scenes in this movie which will upset the viewer, scenes of violence towards the Jewish prisoners etc Another interesting side of the movie is that it of course shows how the German families felt about the war, it shows that not all of them, including some soldiers, agreed with the Nazi regime yet had no choice.All in all this movie gets 5 stars due to a clever storyline, and an ending that you will never forget, an ending that will leave the theater in silence, and make others cry, it certainly did when I saw it in the movie theater.Definitely worth going to see, I shall be buying it as soon as it is released.

having read some of the negative reveiws about this film I feel compelled to write my own. To all the people who get caught up with ripping apart the plot and calling the film innaccurate - my partner knew NOTHING of the holocaust (he is 25!) this film changed that - he was shocked and lost for words at the unspeakable horrors of the nazi concentration camps as portrayed in this film. what the critics forget is that many of the younger generations have absolutely NO IDEA of the suffering endured in both WW1 and WW2 as i believe the history taught in schools today is absolutely non inspirational hence my other halfs ignorance. In a society where the internet and telvision is the source of many young peoples knowledge I think that films like this are extremely important in getting an important message accross. I myself who already knew quite a bit about the suffering of jewish peope in WW2 was moved by this film immensely and felt that although it was not 100% accurate the whole idea behind the film was to captivate viewers and inform - something which would lack the impact if the lead roles were played by adults -This is a film that all young people should watch to appreciate the sheer horrors of the holocaust and appreciate living in a free society which is down to the bravery of the generations before us which we should never forget.

Essentially, this is a movie about the tragic friendship between two 8-year-old boys set against the backdrop of the Holocaust during the Second World War.Bruno (Asa Butterfield) is the adventurous 8-year-old son of an SS Major (David Thewlis) living in Berlin who has just been promoted to the rank of SS Lieutenant Colonel in order to take charge of a new job in the remote countryside of Poland--as the new commandant of a concentration camp there. Dismayed at having to leave all his friends behind in Berlin for a new home in Poland, Bruno resents the move and soon becomes critical of everything and everyone in his new home--including his condescending 12-year-old sister Gretel (brilliantly played by Amber Beattie). Prone to fantasies of becoming a great adventurer and explorer, Bruno daydreams from his bedroom window as he looks out over the treetops of the woods surrounding his new home. In a small gap in the trees, he notices in the far distance what he thinks is a `farm' where he can see people moving about. He concludes that there must be children on this `farm' and sees the opportunity to perhaps make some new friends and at the same time explore the woods.His first efforts to venture out into the woods are met with opposition from his parents who forbid him to leave the immediate confines of the house and garden--and forbid him to go anywhere near the woods or the `farm'. This, of course, only makes the inquisitive lad even more curious and determined to `explore' the forbidden mysteries of the woods and `farm'. Bored with virtually nothing to do and no friends to play with he decides that a garden swing would go a long way to alleviating the hum-drum boredom of his childhood existence and consequently, enlists the help of Pavel (played by David Hayman), a Jewish concentration camp inmate who has been assigned to work as one of the household servants (but who's will and spirit has already been broken by the brutalities of concentration camp life), to help him make a swing from an old spare tyre. One day, while sitting on the swing, Bruno notices large plumes of black smoke rising into the sky from the `farm' in the distance. His curiosity aroused he tries to stand on the swing for a better look, loses his footing and falls off, grazing his knee and knocking himself unconscious. Pavel takes him indoors and bandages his knee. At this point, Bruno finds out that Pavel used to be a doctor before Pavel "gave it up to peel potatoes".Eventually, Bruno manages to evade the tight security surrounding his new home and sneaks off into the woods to `explore'. At the far edge of the woods he comes to a clearing where he encounters a barbed wire fence and a lonely, forlorn lad in stripped `pyjamas' with a shaved head sitting on the other side. Here is where Bruno meets Shmuel (Jack Scanlon), the other 8-year-old boy of the story. Shmuel is a Jew and is himself a prisoner in the `farm' run by Bruno's father. A friendship develops and the rest of the film is devoted to the ups and downs of this friendship.For those of you who have not seen this film I will not divulge the ending but simply say, buy it and watch it for yourself--the ending is a complete departure from the norm! What this story tries to teach are two moral axioms: (1) that the innocence of childhood doesn't know anything about racial hatred or cultural prejudices; these things are acquired (or taught) by parents, teachers, or other members of the adult world (in this case by Bruno's father and by the boy's private tutor) and (2) that in the midst of adversity, deprivation and despair, the power of the human spirit can stand against any evil and that true friendship, even among children, cannot be broken not even in the face of death.Asa Butterfield is brilliant and perfectly cast as the blue-eyed Aryan boy `Bruno', who's piercing blue eyes and facial expressions comes across the screen and cuts right through you to give an astounding on-screen performance, and although he is not as polished or accomplished in delivering his lines as his adult counterparts, nevertheless his on-screen persona and astonishing ability to actually command your attention in almost every scene by acting with his eyes and facial expressions really has to be seen to be believed. There are three scenes in particular where master Butterfield demonstrates his acting prowess: when Bruno first encounters Pavel in the kitchen and notices his dishevelled state; where Bruno is searching in the dark cellar of his new home for his football and comes across his sister Gretel's discarded dolls, all of which have been divested of their clothes and are piled up in a heap in one corner of the cellar (echoing the piles of dead bodies seen in newsreel footage of Belsen and other camps); an in the final scene at the end where he demonstrates the emotions of fear and apprehension. To my knowledge, there has only ever been two other child stars with this phenomenal ability to act with their eyes and facial expression: Martin Stephens as the leader of the blonde, alien, mind-controlling children in `Village of the Damned' (1960) and Joseph Clarke as the 14-year-old schoolboy Molar in `The Medusa Touch' (1978). Unfortunately, for some strange reason these two child stars faded into acting obscurity after their remarkable on-screen performances and were never heard of again. I do hope this doesn't happen with master Butterfield, his extraordinary acting talent is plain for all to see and it would be a great pity and a dreadful loss to the acting profession if he too were to suffer the same fate as the other two child stars. Master Butterfield's acting career is already off to a flying start with his performance in this movie and should be encouraged, nurtured, and developed by those academic professionals who know what they are doing and can guide, exploit, and develop his already extraordinary in-built acting abilities.The technical details and period costumes (including the military uniforms) are all very accurate and very well rendered. However, there are a number of technical errors in this film (as there are in all movies dealing with the Holocaust), one is so glaringly obvious that it almost jumps out at you from the screen: in the scenes depicting the encounters of the two boys at the concentration camp fence, there are no armed foot patrols patrolling outside the perimeter of the camp (as there would have been in a real concentration camp); no Capos keeping a close eye on all the prisoners within the camp compound (as there would have been in a real concentration camp); and perhaps the most obvious error of all, no armed guard `watchtowers' at either corner of the camp perimeter--all these omissions were unheard of in the real concentration camp system. These conspicuous omissions ruin the authentic `feel' of the film and completely destroys any attempt to create the illusion of menace or danger (many camps were also surrounded by minefields and a second, outer perimeter fence). But, I suppose, if they were included, then the encounter between the two boys would not have taken place and you would not have a story to tell. But it is still a good film nonetheless, if rather expensive to buy.

Because I study English Literature I always read the book before seeing the film. Usually, I prefer the book. It is very rare for me to deem the film equally as good as the book and 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' is one of those exceptions. I really applaud the cast and crew for remaining so true to the book. It's a fantastic film and I do recommend it but one word of advice: It's not cheery. The film is set in Germany during WW2 and focuses on the family of a General who have to move to Auschwitz. This is because the General has been put in charge of running Auschwitz. The General has two children - a girl who is in her early teens and becomes indoctrinated into the Hitler Youth mentality and a boy who is much younger. Owing to the boy's young age he is not told about what his father does at Auschwitz and he thinks it's a 'farm' where all the workers wear pyjamas. When he goes exploring he meets a Jewish boy his own age and they become friends. The Jewish boy's father goes missing and so the General's son breaks into Auschwitz to help him look for his father. I won't reveal the ending. However, it is because of this ending that I think parents of children who are between 11 and 13 should watch it first before letting younger children watch it. Although it is a 12 certificate it is very upsetting, and some 12 year olds may not be mentally and emotionally mature enough to deal with it.

I'd read the book, so I knew the storyline, but was by no means prepared for how the film ended. It left me in shock for the rest of the day, and haunted my dreams that night. The book left me shocked, and I didn't think anything could shock me more, but this film did. I've never been so affected by any book or film. They've left a lasting impression on me, and awoken me to the horrors that went on. Reading the book was bad enough, but seeing it makes it so much more real. I can't decide if I liked it or not. When I'm watching the end I can barely look, and feel no desire to watch it again. However I thought it was very well made and I like the way the events were portrayed through the eyes of a child, and an innocent child at that. It made the ending even more sad, because poor Bruno has no idea what's about to happen to him. But overall I think I liked it, despite the horrific and chilling ending.

I read the book about 2 months before the film was relesed after it was recommended to me by a friend. It was very sad especially the ending. When it was released at the cinema I thought it would make a good film and so went to watched it. It was brilliant and in my opinion better than the book and I don't often think this. The book is written purely from Brunos view and everything outside of this such as what is really happening to the Jews is just left to your imagination. The film allows you to see the horror of concentration camps and also shows you others opinions such as when Brunos mother finds out what is really going on inside the camps, this is not in the book. It shows the inocence of children and shows you how Hitlers views ruins even a family who was on his side. A very powerful and emotional film that had the whole cinema in tears.

Excellent movie. Sad and heartbreaking in some scenes.Very true on how people were treated back in the days of wwII in the concentration camps.The little boy was curious on what was going on in his own back yard, so he went and investigated on what what happening.This is were he meets the boy on the other side of the fence. They become very good friends and the little boy helps the other little boylook for his father in the camp and ends up in the gas chamber by mistake with all of the other prisoners. By the time the father (head honcho of the camp) realizes what is happening to his son, then it was too late to do anything. The son from this side of the fence was dead..

A truly sad movie.

Wow! It's fantastic.I love the picture, the creation. It's so heart touching. Oh God...I love this little Asa!!!

Arrivato un giorno prima insieme ad altre cose prese....Avevo visto il film in tv,e mi aveva emozionato molto....A distanza di tempo,ho pensato di acquistarlo....ottimo rivederlo ogni tanto,sopratutto per imparare a non dire bugie ai bambini e imparare che i piú piccoli vedono oltre.......le "differenze" ....ps. apparte una piccola parte,non ci sono scene crude,ma molte scene giocano sull'immaginazione,(a parer mio),é questo che rende il film toccante emotivamente

La película nos muestra un drama desde otro punto de vista, desde la historia de dos niños que no entienden la historia que les tocó vivir. Me gustó, pero recomendaría leerse antes el libro!